


Irreplaceable Fire

by sunshineduos



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Arguing, Canonical Character Death, Denial, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Intervention, Luffy Being Luffy, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Secret Relationship, Spirits, fear of safety
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-01-16 09:22:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18518545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineduos/pseuds/sunshineduos
Summary: Ace died, but that didn’t stop Luffy from seeing him. Now he sees his spirit everyday, much to his crew’s concern.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Only planning to do 4-5k words on this. And putting it in chapters. It gets sadder in the next chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> Comments are welcome and extremely motivated!

_Ace died in Marineford_ , Luffy thought,  _so why am I seeing him?_  

There in front of him stood Ace, seemingly alive and well. No wounds were present in his chest—the hole that was made by Akainu. Was it really him? Or did Luffy finally lose his sanity? Was his training with Rayleigh pushing him too far? 

His voice shook in horror. "Y-You're dead! I... I saw you die in front of me!" Luffy aggressively rubbed his eyes, hoping to clear his vision, or hallucination. "You're not real," he said, then repeated it again. "You're gone." 

Ace chuckled. He walked towards Luffy, placing his hand on his shoulder, slightly squeezing it. "Real enough for you?" 

Luffy gasped. He could feel his brother. "H-How?" Then slowly he touched Ace's bare chest, and it connected. His skin was warm, too warm. Luffy lay his head onto him, cheek pressed on his collarbone. 

Long arms wrapped around him, drawing Luffy close to him. He could hear Ace's heartbeat pulsing. 

"Sorry I made you worry," Ace breathed as his hand carded Luffy's black hair. 

Luffy started crying, trembling. "You jackass... you had me worried." His nails dug on his skin; he was angry and hurt altogether. "I thought you died—" 

"I am dead, Luffy," Ace stated. 

That made Luffy pull away with wide eyes. "But I can touch you?" 

Ace shrugged, then let out a sigh. "I don't know how to explain it. I'm here, but I'm dead. I think I'm a spirit." He gazed at his arms and then at his chest. "It would explain why I don't have a chunk of me missing, huh?" 

"Can anyone else see you?" Luffy asked. 

He shook his head. "No. I tried with Marco. Nothing. He was... grieving." His eyes darted to the sunny sky before back at Luffy. "You're the only one who could see me." 

Luffy wiped away his tears as he whispered, "Are you disappointed that I didn't save—OW!" He winced when a strong punch hit his head. "Are you using haki or something? Damn, that hurt!" He had lowered himself on his heels, rubbing his head. 

"Then don't talk like that!" Ace snapped, prompting Luffy to shut his mouth. "I don't give a damn about me, never had. The only thing I cared about when I was dying was hoping that you would be okay. I wasn't there to see what happened after that." He sat cross-legged next to Luffy, huffing. "Doesn't matter anyway. You survived." 

Ace stared at the ocean up head, while Luffy never took his gaze off him. 

"So you're... really here," he mused 

"Guess I am." Ace's mouth turned in a grin. 

As Luffy was about to say something, Rayleigh came out of the bushes looking for him. "There you are. I was wondering where you ran off to. No time for break. Let's continue our training." He padded to him. 

"Coming! I was just talking to—" When Luffy turned to see Ace, he was gone. He blinked, then rubbed his eyes. Did he make him up? 

"Luffy?" 

"Yeah. I'm going, I'm going." He climbed to his feet, eyeing the spot where Ace was few minutes ago before going with Rayleigh. It was a hot day. The heat must be messing with his brain. 

Later that day, Luffy was startled when Ace appeared behind him, fingers touching his nape. Rayleigh was fast asleep across him, snoring. Luffy had been sitting on a log, hands near the fire to say warm when Ace had frightened him. 

"Where did you go!" he demanded. "I thought you were made-up! 

At least Ace had the decency to look guilty. "I don't do it purposely but sometimes I disappear. I still see you, but you don't see me. I don't know how that works." 

"This is so confusing." Luffy pouted. 

"It happens sometimes. Don't freak out when I'm not here, alright?" 

"What do you do when I can't see you?" 

"Sometimes I stick around by your side, or I venture around. I don't have to worry about doing dangerous stuff now." To prove his point, his hand touched the fire. Luffy was amazed. 

"Cool!" 

"Not really. I could've done this when I was still alive." 

"Oh yeah." How could he forget? 

Ace shook his head as he laughed. "Your memory sucks!" 

"Meanie," Luffy mumbled. 

Then he smiled and extended his hand for Ace to grab. They held hands and leaned close to each other. For some reason it reminded Luffy when they were children. How they were in the middle of the forest, sitting by a fire, and staring at the night sky; just like the old days. 

 _This_ was what Luffy missed the most. 

   
 

Ace was by Luffy's side for two years, helping him and assisting him with tasks given by Rayleigh. They made a pretty good team. Ace was proud that Luffy had grown stronger; he knew his death was the reason he wanted to improve. 

When it was time to leave and for Luffy to find his friends, Ace debated if he should go with him. 

"What are you waiting for, Ace? C'mon!" 

Ace hadn't move. "Are you sure? I'll probably slow you down, Luffy." 

"Nonsense! My friends will be happy to know you're with me." He intertwined their fingers together. "We better get going. I don't want the food to go bad!" 

Both went to find the rest of the crew. It was easy for trouble to find Luffy as he was attacked by marines. Ace had disappeared during battle, and Luffy had gotten used to it. He had realized a while back that it was only when Luffy's mind was preoccupied. Like right now. 

Zoro appeared with Sanji, aiding Luffy in taking down the others. Kuma was their main target. It was easy compared to the last time they were attacked by him. All of them had improved in their skills. 

In no time everybody was down, all except Kuma. 

Luffy activated second gear and finished him with one final punch. Then he noticed that Ace was cheering him on in the corner of his eye. He would smile with relief whenever he saw him. Still fearing that Ace might not appear one of these days. 

"Nice punch, Luffy!" Ace praised as he defeated Kuma. 

Luffy smiled, landing in front of him. "You think I can kick your ass now?" 

"Who knows." Ace ruffled his hair, causing Luffy to blush. "Your friends are coming." 

Zoro and Sanji greeted Luffy, both happy to see their captain stronger than ever. They headed to the Thousand Sunny before the marines could catch him. The reunion was sweet and short when the marines spotted them. Luckily, Hancock helped them in escaping. 

"Still can't believe she was into you," Ace said, crossing his arms. Was that a hint of jealousy in his voice? 

Luffy laughed, and the sudden action made his crew members look at him. 

"You okay, Luffy?" Usopp asked. 

"Yeah, I was just laughing at something Ace said." Luffy said it like nothing; the fact that he brought up his deceased brother. Luffy turned to him. "Don't worry. I didn't even care about that." 

"Who are you talking to?" Robin questioned. 

"Ace. My big brother." 

Usopp wheezed and uttered out  _Ghost_! 

Luffy frowned when his crew looked at him like he had lost his mind. No one said anything after that. Zoro gripped the hilt of his sword and Usopp hid behind the wooden post. 

Nami had her hand covering her mouth. "Are you seeing him? Right now?" her voice trembled. 

"Yes." Luffy trusted his crew with everything. "He's right here." He pointed next to him. Even though Ace couldn't be seen, he still greeted them and bowed in respect. 

Chopper spoke up. "Luffy, I think it's time for a check-up." His little hooves grabbed his captain's hand, slowly leading him to the door. 

"But I'm not sick," he whined, nevertheless, he obeyed. Brook followed them. 

Once Luffy was out of sight, the rest began to have a serious conversation. 

"I think our captain finally lost it," Sanji stated. He lit a cigarette, deeply inhaled, then letting it out. 

Robin paused. "He's in a fragile state. Perhaps his mind created Ace to mourn for his loss. I heard such a tragedy could occur.” 

"So just to make it clear the ship is not haunted, right?" Usopp asked, peeking out from the post. Franky spook him by poking his shoulder, sending Usopp high in the air. "Ah!" 

"What do we do?" 

Zoro's eyes landed on Nami when she asked that. " _Nothing_. Look, Luffy may not be in the right mind right now, but he's still our captain. He wouldn't jeopardize the crew, our lives." 

"But Zoro—" 

"I won't say it again, Nami. Let him keep talking to _this_ Ace. He'll snap out of it eventually. For now, let us leave him be." He let out a yawn. "I'm going to take a nap now." 

None argued with the swordsman. He knew Luffy best, after all. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I asked which one to upload from tumblr. Someone wanted this one! Two or three more chapters left, guys. Also this isn't the sad part yet, maybe on the next one.
> 
> Comments are welcome and extremely motivated!

The first couple of days since being reunited were filled with laughter and excitement. But a week after that, everything changed with Luffy. Their captain started to talk to himself, even when they were eating together.

It wouldn't have been weird—if it wasn't for the fact that he was talking to his deceased brother. That was downright painful for the whole crew. It reminded them that they weren't there for Luffy on his rescued—failed—mission.

Chopper had examined Luffy, and said that he was in excellent shape and there was nothing wrong with his eyesight. He did point out, as a doctor, that Luffy had been in excessive stress the last two years, and maybe, it could be why he was suffering from a strong delusion.

None confronted Luffy about it, though. Like Zoro said,  _he'll snap out of it eventually._

Luffy didn't.

 

 

"Your crew is treating you differently," Ace said matter-of-factly.

Luffy hummed and propped his elbows on the rails like Ace. He observed his crew, trying to see what Ace saw. They were all doing their own thing. Robin reading; Usopp tinkering with gadgets; Brook playing the violin; Zoro training; Sanji serving drinks to the ladies.

"No, they're not." He craned his head to him. "Maybe you're imaging it."

Ace paused, peering at Robin. He noticed the way she made brief eye contact with Zoro and Nami, who both turned towards Luffy. It all happened too fast for Luffy to realize, as his eyes landed back on them.

"I don't think I am," he murmured.

Luffy swung his arm around his shoulder. "Cheer up, Ace! Let's go steal food from the kitchen. You can give me a heads up if Sanji is in there or not." That was one huge advantage he loved: Ace being able to go through walls.

Ace chuckled. "Okay. Just leave food for your crew."

Luffy started heading away. Ace hadn't move just yet. His eyes were fixated below, waiting for something to happen. When it didn't, he followed the younger boy. His hand lay protectively behind his back.

 

 

He had no problem sleeping. Not when Ace was in his hammock, arms wrapped around him. They fitted together perfectly.

Usopp woke up one time in the middle of the night, thirsty, only to gasp upon seeing Luffy's hammock move back and forth. He quickly nudged Sanji who nearly kicked his face out of anger. He was dreaming about women running around the beach.

"What?" he whispered with a bit of edge.

"L-Look!" Usopp jabbed his finger towards Luffy. "T-The hammock. It's m-moving," his voice trembled, "by itself."

Sanji squinted—trying to focus his vision—and he saw it. The hammock kept moving in a soft motion, never stopping. As if someone was doing it.  _Hammocks don't move on its own_ , he thought.

"What if it's Ace?" Usopp gulped, remembering Luffy talking to him.

Sanji hit him. "Obviously you're being stupid. There's no such thing as—" A creaking sound echoed in front of them.

Usopp screamed and bolted out of the room. Sanji had rushed to shut him up. But both agreed that they weren't returning back to the room. It was creepy. Strange sounds? Hammock moving on their own?

Zoro was startled—from his nap—when Sanji and Usopp barged in the crow's nest. "What are you guys doing up? It's not even morning yet." He yawned.

"I'm not sleeping in the men's quarters," Usopp declared. "You can't make me!"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "He thinks the place is haunted—"

"It is! The hammock was moving by itself! And to top it off, there was strange noises like someone was walking around us!"

Zoro sighed. Why did they have to pick tonight to bother him? He rubbed his eyes and pushed himself up from the wall. "Brook and Franky didn't hear it?"

Usopp shook his head. "They're not in the room. Franky is busy in his workshop." He had no clue where Brook even was; probably playing music around the ship somewhere when he couldn't sleep. "It's just Luffy in  _there_."

They all stared at one another. Usopp was the only one acting like something was not right.

"Too early for this bullshit," Zoro finally said. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought. "Swirly brow, do you think Usopp is just imagining this?" And he honestly expected Sanji to back him up, at least agree with him in calming down Usopp.

"No," he admitted.

Zoro glared at him, snarling. "You just said  _he thinks the place is haunted!_  Make up your damn mind."

Sanji scoffed. "Just because I think it's nonsense doesn't mean it's not true—I'm saying something doesn't feel right, okay? I don't know what to believe."

"Maybe Luffy is right! It's Ace—"

"I'll cut your lips if you say that again," Zoro growled. "There is no ghost, and certainly no Ace. He's gone. Dead." Usopp shut his mouth and dropped his gaze at the ground. Zoro didn't want Usopp to believe that Ace's spirit was floating around. That's disrespectful. Ace was somewhere better now.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Sanji reached into his pocket to get a cigarette. "Luffy is going to make us go crazy."

Zoro agreed but he didn't voice it out.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep back there anymore..." Usopp sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall.

"We gotta talk to Luffy," Sanji said.

"And say what exactly?" Zoro crossed his arms.

"I don't know! Do you really believe that he'll," Sanji made finger quotations, mockingly, "snap out of it? Because, let me tell you, he won't! It's already been three weeks, moss-head." Sanji was not seeing any changes with their captain. If anything he's  _more_  isolated.

Zoro ran his hand across his face, frustrated. "I'll talk to Luffy, happy?"

Sanji nodded, and Usopp had fallen asleep while they were talking.

"You and Usopp can sleep here. I'll keep watch outside," Zoro offered. The sniper was dead set on avoiding the men's quarters, much to his annoyance. "But only this once!" He left the crow's nest.

He grumbled as he leaned his shoulder on the mast. Zoro heard footsteps behind him, then felt a sudden cold chill through the air. "Damn it, Sanji, I told you I'll talk to Luf—" He halted as he turned around.

No one was there.

Zoro's heart skipped a beat. He could've sworn he heard someone approaching him.  _Haunted_ , Usopp had said. Shaking his head, Zoro went back to looking at the sea, but his hand clutched on the hilt of his sword the entire night.

Luffy's words echoed in his head:  _Ace is here with us_. He had told Zoro when he asked about his older brother.

It had to be nonsense. Right?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sadness begins. Now the question is: Is Ace real or in Luffy's head? 
> 
> Comments are welcome and extremely motivated!

It was hard to fool around now that Luffy had been back on Thousand Sunny. Every place he went there was a different crewmember. It's annoying. Back on the island they had easily lost themselves deep in the jungle.

"How long has it been since we've had sex?" Luffy asked.

Ace hummed. "Feels like two weeks. Longer even."

Luffy grumbled. He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. "I can't believe I can't get laid on my own ship." Luffy went to the men's quarters, Brook was there; in the crow's nest, Zoro's there. Library, Robin. He could go on how somebody had taken a room.

He felt nails scratching his scalp, prompting Luffy to lean into Ace's touch, sighing happily.

"Does someone miss having sex?" Ace teased. Luffy pursed his lips. "Yeah, I know. I hate it too." He turned Luffy's cheek and kissed him. It was all they could do at the moment. Simple kisses. They couldn't last too long, otherwise his crew would think Luffy was doing something weird.

It seemed Luffy didn't care as he pushed Ace on his back and climbed on him. Kissing him roughly, with need.

"Stop," Ace uttered. "Your crew will think you're being a creep." Yet, he didn't push Luffy away. Hell, he needed this, too.

Luffy eyed his surroundings, then grinned at Ace. "No one is around! We can do something real quick!"

"Damn it, Luffy. You're desperate, huh?" His fingers pinched Luffy's nose, then stretched it a bit—doing an Usopp expression without realizing.

"Yes," Luffy said in a squeaky voice. Ace laughed as he let go of his nose. It snapped back to his face.

Then something dawned to Ace. "It's your turn to watch tonight, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"We can fool around tonight then."

Luffy paused. "I don't know. Zoro is sometimes up late doing training and Nami does her map drawings at night."

Ace shrugged. "We're just gonna have to wait then—"

"No. I hate not being able to get close to you," he whined.

"You are on top of me, you know that right?" Ace shook his head, a smile on his face, as Luffy elbowed him lightly on his ribs. Luffy rested his forearms on Ace's chest, eyes fixated on him.

"I wish you were really here," Luffy breathed.

Ace's heart cracked. He grabbed Luffy from the back of his head and pulled him down for another long kiss. This time he didn't care. No one was around anyway. When they parted, Ace leaned upwards, then said, "I wish everything had turned out differently." He didn't explain any further, knowing Luffy would know what he was talking about.

Luffy said nothing. Just placed his head on the crook of his neck. Even though Ace was dead, Luffy still heard his heart beating. It was the most beautiful thing to hear.

 

 

He waited at the right moment. The light at the crow's nest was off, meaning Zoro had gone to bed. Nami was nowhere to be seen. Everyone was asleep.

They headed to the aquarium bar. Perfect spot for no one to disturb them. Luffy didn't even have to turn on any lights since the aquarium illuminated light from above. He knew he should be on watch—but god, if he didn't get at least one release he's going to lose it.

It didn't take long for them to go straight into action. Ace had maneuvered Luffy onto the back of the cushion. Undoing the button on his shorts was an easy task while he kissed his neck and chest, making sure to get all of Luffy's sensitive spots.

Luffy moaned as Ace's hand went underneath his shorts. He was so hard and desperate for relief. Ace knew this and decided to have fun with him. "Look at you. Already a mess with just this." He palmed his cock. "Want more?" Luffy growled at him; out of all the times to be a little shit, Ace picked now? Then he groaned when Ace finally started rubbing him. His free hand caressed his stomach and nipples, drawing another wanton moan from Luffy.

"Y-Yeah! Ace, Ace— Please," he begged, "I need it. This. Want you so _bad_." There was a hint of sadness on the last words. "Make me feel you..." he trailed off. Ace cheered him up by kissing his lips tenderly. He was aware that Luffy tended to get sentimental whenever they were being intimate.

Ace stroked Luffy a few times, loving the way his face turned crimson red. He always loved this side of him.

"Uhh, Ace," he panted. "Feels so good."

He smirked and swallowed his cock whole. Luffy gasped, hips hitching and legs bending. His fingers gripped his hair as Ace bopped his head. Luffy could feel his stomach heating up, almost too quickly. He suddenly came in his mouth without warning. Ace pulled away, but not fast enough, as his face was covered in his jizz.

Luffy laughed upon seeing Ace's face covered in white mess. Eyebrow twitching in annoyance, he stretched his cheek a good, long yard before letting go. Luffy yelped when his skin retracted.

"Serves you right."

Luffy's lips turned into a huge grin. "Sorry, Ace. Let me make it up to you." He snaked his arms around his neck and pulled him down, licking his own come.

Ace's breath hitched. Then his lips met Luffy's, saliva and jizz mixed together, but neither cared. They made out a bit, enjoying and memorizing each other's mouths. His tongue entered inside Ace's, playing with his in a teasing manner. Both moaned through the kiss.

Suddenly, something dropped from across the room, making them pull apart and watch in horror at the intruder. Luffy gulped as he saw a familiar silhouette. He quickly rushed to cover himself with his clothes.

"Z-Zoro? What are you doing here?" Ace had disappeared, leaving Zoro and Luffy to themselves.

"The real question what are you doing down here?" He caught a good sight of Luffy, and he was a mess: no clothes, messy hair, covered in semen. It made Zoro shake his head with disgust. "If you're going to be doing this shit, at least do it where no one could hear you."

Zoro must've heard him. Luffy hung his head in shame. "Sorry. I was being selfish." He put on his clothes, not caring that he hadn't zipped anything. He just wanted to exit out of the room, out of Zoro's disappointed gaze.

He paced to the bathroom. And as he stared at himself in the mirror… he saw why Zoro made that _expression_. His eyes were blown from lust, he was sweating from his face to his chest, and his stomach was painted with his seed. He briskly showered and then went to bed.

The next morning, Zoro said nothing about the incident—which Luffy was grateful for—but he avoided Luffy that day. It crushed him.

Ace comforted him, saying they should've been more careful and that he was sorry. Luffy simply nodded. He wouldn't be reckless like that again.

 

 

For three days, it had been awkward with Zoro. But they managed, like usual. Zoro had approached him when Luffy was fishing by himself—well, Ace didn't count since nobody could see him.

"Luffy?"

Luffy didn't have the guts to look him in the eyes. However, that didn't stop his ears from burning. "Yeah?"

Zoro didn't respond. For seconds.

It was suspenseful for Luffy, wondering if this was the moment where Zoro would leave and never come back. His heart ached at the thought of his first crewmate leaving.

"I heard everything that night," Zoro confessed.

Luffy lowered the fishing pole, and he wished Ace had left to give them privacy.

"You were in relationship with your brother like that." He wasn't questioning, just stating the facts.

"Yes. I am." Luffy didn't want to lie anymore. He was tired of doing it for years now. "I'm sorry if it sickens you." He had heard all the horrible remarks back in his own hometown; how wrong it was. It even wore him down to talk about it. Then he felt Ace holding his hand, fingers lacing together. Showing that he's not alone in this. Only Luffy was.

Zoro sighed and averted his gaze towards the ocean. He gave Luffy a final glance, blank and despondent. Then walked away. If the expression that Zoro had given him that night crushed him, _this_ _one_ killed Luffy.

Luffy cried on Ace's shoulders.

 

 

Sanji was fucking angry that his sake was missing again, and he knew the culprit. He marched to the spot where he knew Zoro would secretly be.

"You asshole!" Sanji spat upon seeing the sight of him on the floor, drinking. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to get that alcohol?"

Instead of bickering in their usual banter, Zoro glared at the cook. "Not now. I'm not in the mood," he said sternly before gulping down the sake like water.

Sanji's eyebrow knitted together. Something about his tone was way off. "What the hell is wrong with you? It's like you just heard the worst news ever."

"I did," he went back to gazing at the wall, "and I don't know how to feel about it."

He didn't question Zoro. He knew how the other could be. So instead he asked, "Did you get a chance to talk to Luffy?" Sanji had hoped he did. Usopp stilled refused to sleep in the men's quarters.

At the mention of his captain's name, his eyes darkened. "No. And I won't now."

Without thinking, he threw the bottle to the wall, shattering it. He was both angry and hurt altogether. Hurt that Luffy kept a secret like that from him; weren't they supposed to trust each other? Angry because he still kept talking about Ace like he's still alive. When would he stop? Now Zoro didn't believe his _own_ words.

Sanji frowned. "What in the world did you find out?"

Zoro snarled, but kept quiet.

Sanji left the room without knowing anything but he knew deep down it had something to do with Luffy. Everything was getting out of control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and theories/guesses are welcomed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left! And by the end, you'll find out if Ace is real or not. And I saw some comments about wanting Brook to use his form; and I have to say I have no idea what that is. I'm barely at Skypiea Arc. And skipped the rest to see Ace's arc. Haven't seen anything else, sorry. Slow watcher. Also, I was trying to follow the canon storyline but stopped because it wasn't going where I wanted. So changed it up.
> 
> Comments are welcome and extremely motivated!

The tension around the crew grew more. Luffy had stopped being close to them by never once moving from his favorite spot. He waited there for hours until the sun had set, talking nonstop to Ace.

His crew greatly worried for his safety.

Luffy still ate but he hardly slept. The only warmth he had was feeling Ace's skin. And it was enough.

He avoided conversing with the others. Stopped playing with Usopp, going for check-ups with Chopper, hearing Brook's music; he avoided everything.

"You don't look too good," Ace said, fingers pushing away his bangs from his eyes.

"I'm fine. Just tired."

"This isn't like you." He frowned. He had been aware that Luffy was distancing himself with his crew. "You need to talk to them."

Luffy shook his head. "They look at me like something is wrong with me." He finally noticed when Ace had told him that his crew was treating him differently, he'd denied it at first, but now he could plainly see it. "I need to give them space, then everything will be okay again." He gave him a quick smile.

Ace sighed. He really hoped that was the case.

 

 

It went on like that for a month. A month of Luffy being reversed and quiet—every now and then he'd be himself. He still was serious when it came to battles and fighting enemies. That didn't change.

Robin kept a close eye on him, well, multiple eyes. Ace had found out. Did she really thing that he wouldn't notice? Even if he was still alive, he'd know right away. Therefore Ace left more often to find out what else was going on within the ship. Luffy didn't mind; he would come back.

Luffy was thrilled that Zoro wanted to go exploring with him on the next island the ship docked. They were walking side by side, staring at the stands. Luffy's mouth watered at the food on display. He hadn't been aware that Zoro started speaking.

"I'm sorry," he said with a hint of remorse.

Luffy turned to him. "For what? You didn't do anything wrong." He was confused.

Grumbling, Zoro put his hands deep in his pockets. "Yeah, I did. I hurt your feelings a while back. Made you feel like something less. Something a first mate shouldn't do." His mouth tasted like ash as he said it, not because he was apologizing, mostly because it reminded Zoro what he had done. It had been killing him ever since their last conversation.

"It's okay." Luffy shrugged, then continued walking.

"Do you really see Ace?" Zoro inquired, and the question prompted Luffy to freeze.

"I do." He didn't glance over his shoulder to see his expression, instead placed his hands behind his head. "Do you believe me?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "but I don't believe you're insane." _Not yet,_ was left unsaid, though Luffy didn't catch it.

Luffy grinned as he spun around, and exclaimed, "Race you back to the ship! Don't get lost!" Zoro shouted at him before running after him. And like Luffy predicted, he got lost. Twice.

Things returned to normal after that—well, Luffy was his old self again.

 

 

When he reunited with Law on Punk Hazard and formed an alliance with him, Ace was strongly against it.

"He's just using you," he told him.

"Don't be silly, Ace. I trust him! He saved my life, you know," once he said that, Ace shut his mouth. The strange doctor was the one to save Luffy's life; it was enough to lower Ace's doubts. For the moment.

Strangely, Law didn't say anything when Luffy spoke with his brother. He merely observed him from distance. Sanji and Usopp had told him about Luffy's _problem_. They wanted Law to scan his brain, see if they could find any damage in there. Law had laughed, like he could actually do such a thing.

He couldn't. However, he reassured the others that he'd study him.

And he did for a few days.

They were by the edge of the ship. Luffy had been blabbering nonstop with Law, which the other tuned him out—at least tried.

"Isn't it fun being here?" Luffy asked with a smile.

"Your fun and my fun are two different things."

Luffy snickered. "You'll get used to it—" The ship shook violently, and Luffy fell overboard. Law didn't register until he reached out to grab him. He missed by a few inches.

"Strawhat!"

The water swallowed Luffy, and Law just watched in horror. He ran to shout to the others. Sanji and Zoro met him halfway, asking _what was wrong_. They were wasting time.

"Your captain fell overboard," he uttered, "I couldn't reach him in time."

Zoro jumped down. Sanji did as well—Zoro might not make it in time.

Law felt completely useless. He could've used Room, but didn't. He wasn't close to Luffy. He couldn't risk his life when he already had plans of his own. Law gripped on the rails, nails digging into the wood. If Luffy died right here, then saving him back then was pointless—

Someone coughed beside him.

"Oh man, I swallowed a lot of salt water," Luffy wheezed. Another ugly cough escaped his lips. "What made the ship shake like that?"

Law stood there, speechless. How did he get there? Who saved him? Many questions popped into Law's head. He collapsed on his knees, staring incredulously at Luffy.

"I feel so weak," Luffy complained, slumping his shoulders.

"What—How did you get out of the water?" Law questioned once he found his voice.

Luffy rubbed his eyes, then said in a calming manner, "Ace saved me."

Law's eyes widened, not sure what to reply. His train of thought was broken when Zoro and Sanji angrily called him from below. Robin had arrived and helped the boys back up onto the deck.

"What the hell, Law?" Sanji snapped. "You couldn't have told us that you rescued him!" Water droplets hit Law's face as Sanji pointed at him.

Zoro huffed as he squeezed excessive water from his green coat. Judging from the glare Law received, he knew the swordsman was also angry, but not as much, perhaps grateful that he saved his captain.

Law licked his lips. It would be too stupid to explain that it wasn't him. What could he say anyway? _I didn't. It was Ace_. Yeah, right. Everybody would think he's the crazy one. Besides, Law didn't know if he believed Luffy or not.

Too many answers left unexplained.

Instead he said, "I didn't know if I'd be able to reach him underneath. But it worked." He turned to walk away from the scene, ignoring Sanji's shouts.

But he knew one thing. He had to be very careful around Luffy.

Law left few days later—apparently his crew was in trouble and needed his help. He specifically told Nami if they were having any issues with Luffy, to call him. It was the least he could do. He had still been curious about Luffy's state.

 

 

It was enough. They were all done. The crew couldn't take any more of _this_. They needed their old captain back, the one from two years ago. They had discussed the night before, making sure that Luffy was first asleep, then started plotting.

When morning came, Luffy eagerly ran into the kitchen with the false pretense that breakfast was ready. Instead he found his crew in there, all sitting down like they were about to have a meeting—only it wasn't. It's an intervention. Luffy tilted his head, not quite following.

"What's going on here?"

It was quiet for a few seconds before Nami spoke first. "We need to talk, Luffy."

"About what?" He heard Ace muttered behind him: _this doesn't look good._

Nami didn't say it, but Sanji did. "About your conversations with Ace. It's not right and when we can't bear to hear it anymore. We tried to give you time to move on," Sanji stated, "but it's not working." He let out a tired sigh, as if this was hurting him. "So here we are."

Ace stood beside Luffy, listening to everything. His eyebrows furrowed as he eyed each one of them. Then it clicked on what's happening. "Shit. Is this mutiny?"

"Mutiny?" Luffy uttered. "I heard that word from Shanks once. It's like rebelling—Wait! Is that what's going on here?" He snapped his head back at his crew.

"No!" Chopper pleaded. "I'm really scared for you, Luffy. Your mind is not in the right place." Robin, Brook, Usopp, and Zoro nodded. "Come to my office and I'll treat you—"

"No!" Luffy screamed. He backed away, bumping into Ace's arms. He glanced upwards at him. "Ace, they want me to stop seeing you!"

"That's enough, captain," Zoro's firm voice echoed the room.

"Not you too, Zoro." Luffy gritted his teeth. He clenched his hands and shook his head. "He's real! Why don't you all believe me?"

"He's dead!" Sanji bellowed, throwing Ace's obituary on the table. Pictures of Ace's dead body scattered. "He died two years ago in front of your eyes, don't you see that?"

Luffy couldn't stop his body from shaking and his eyes turned watery. It was getting hard to breathe. He grasped his hair and lightly pulled it. Why were they telling him this? Ace was beside him. Strong memories of his death went through his mind. Blood. So much blood was around him.

"Stop it." Ace tried to pry his arms away. "Ignore them, Luffy! I'm right here!"

"We're trying to help you," Robin added. "This isn't healthy."

Luffy began to sob as his knees hit the floor. "Shut up!" Ace was real! He had been with Luffy for two years. Talked to him. Touched him. His crew was lying to him, right? It didn't matter if he's no longer physically here, his soul was. Therefore to Luffy, he was real.

Something inside Ace snapped. For the first time since he was able to live again, his body turned into fire. He hadn't done that since his death. The entrance started to catch fire, spreading down the kitchen. Flames surrounded Luffy, but it didn't touch or harm him.

The others shrieked.

"Where did the fire come from?" Sanji inquired.

"Luffy!" Zoro called him. He couldn't reach him unless he wanted to get burn.

But Luffy didn't move. He stayed on the ground, wailing.

"We have to stop the fire from spreading!" Nami instructed. Robin summoned a set of arms to grab pots and fill them with water; Franky went to fetch a hose; Usopp and Chopper panicked, as usual.

Ace held his brother. Luffy shut his eyes as he leaned to him, holding him for dear life.

Sanji and Zoro teamed up to drag him out of the fire, and Ace allowed them even though Luffy refused. He scanned his surroundings, finally noticing that it was in blaze because of him. He didn't want that. He never used his fire to harm anyone good.

Closing his eyes, Ace took a deep breath and stopped the fire like how he usually did. It worked. The flames seized, leaving behind ashes and half-burned wood. There was a frown on his face.

Luffy struggled to get out of Zoro's hold. "Let go of me, stupid Zoro! Ace!"

The older man bit his lip, eyes misty with tears. Then he said in a hoarse tone, "Maybe you should listen to your crew..." Ace turned around.

"I won't." He growled. "Don't leave me again. You promised!"

Tears fell down his face and his shoulders quivered. "I'm just causing you trouble." Deep down he knew that being with Luffy was a big mistake, and yet, he didn't care. He had wanted to be with him. But with his crew trying to talk sense into their captain, desperately trying to get him the help he needed. Well, maybe Ace was the one doing harm to Luffy.

"Who cares! I love you!" Ace froze on the spot, as he glanced over his shoulder he witnessed Luffy biting Zoro's forearm.

"Ow! Luf—" Zoro was pushed back with strong force as Luffy dashed to Ace. To others, he was running to nothing, but to Luffy, he was running to the only person he had ever loved. He jumped and enveloped him in a hug.

Ace caught him. It pained him to see Luffy in such a state.

"I have to go, Luffy. Your crew won't listen to you if you keep—"

"I don't care," he declared with narrowed eyes.

Ace let out a small, broken chuckle. "You've always been a selfish idiot, you know that."

"Only when it comes to you." He nuzzled his neck. "I lost you once. I'm not losing you again."

The crew watched in shock as Luffy confessed his love to nobody, except there was _somebody_. Then, they screamed when Luffy suddenly vanished from the kitchen, leaving behind his straw-hat—it landed on the smoky ground.

Zoro rushed to save it before it could burn the brim. Something was seriously wrong with Luffy if he left his hat behind, like nothing.

"What the fuck just happened?" Sanji hissed. "Where did Luffy go?" Robin tried to look for him with her devil fruit. There was no sign of him anywhere.

Usopp stammered, "I-I think Luffy is telling the truth. Ace is real. I've been sensing a heavy presence on Sunny." He didn't know how to explain it. "I'm telling it's true!"

Zoro's fingers clutched the hat. "Doesn't matter anymore. Luffy is not going to last if we don't help him." He knew better than anyone that Luffy's mental health was reaching a breaking point. And they had to save him before it was too late.

"What do we do?" Chopper asked.

It was Nami who answered, voice fierce. "We do three things. Call Law, find Luffy, and... talk to Ace. If Luffy says he's real, then we have to try to communicate with him. Ace would never do anything to damage Luffy's life. If he sees that, then maybe he'll leave Luffy." No one argued—or said it was a stupid plan—meaning that they were all desperate to get their captain back. "Sanji, Zoro, and Franky, you guys get Luffy. Brook, Robin, we talk to Ace. Chopper, Usopp, you get in contact with Law and explain the situation."

They all nodded and left in groups.


End file.
